Wednesday, November 28, 2012

I have briefly mentioned my red obsession as of late. And there is no better excuse to add some drama than the holidays so I've been painting the town red this week, so to speak.

With a little help of course!

I am super super thankful because not only did Wren help me this year, but Ikea offered to help as well in getting our holiday perfectly rosy red. And a little goes a long way over there so if the feeling moves you to make a little color scheme switcheroo too then head over there for lots of inspiration. I promise there won't be any guilt involved (which I had at first for abandoning my beloved teal/blue holiday treasures).

The past 5 or 6 years I have painstakingly collected and cared for countless antique holiday ornaments. And while I probably should have changed the agenda a few years ago after first losing a few to curious fingers, it hit home last year that Wren will only be little once and she finds so much magic in the season that this year we wanted a VERY kid friendly holiday home. No breakable items. AT ALL. Which is also what led to my decision to try some new colors this year, so long as it didn't break the bank.

The first item to hit the bottom of my cart was this Henrika throw blanket. I love the subtle, sparkly border. It is very well priced ($19.99) but I found this guy in the AS IS area for $9. ALWAYS head back there before you hit the checkout!

We have never followed the tradition of an Advent wreath at home, but I always loved when we lit the candles at school growing up. So I am really excited to start our own new tradition this year. Not exactly a wreath, but we put our own spin on it thanks to these adorable numbered candles (only $6.99 for all 4! this is by far my favorite holiday purchase) and a thrifted silver platter.

My 'most fun' award of the holidays go to these Julmys garlands. I grabbed 8 of them to put on both the mantle and tree. They come in different patterns in black/white and red/white. I tied three together with some grey yarn to swag them on the mantle for a bit of Suess-ical fun.

Because the budget didn't allow for a whole tree's worth of new decorations we got creative and turned the whole tree into our advent calender. Wren and I stickered up this $10 set of gift bags {filled with tiny treasures} and hung them instead of many decorations. If you have little ones I have to tell you that this is a HIT. It was so fun to do together and was impossible for her to do wrong. And Wren cannot wait to get started with finding the right number each day on the tree to see what surprise lies within.

Another fool proof and improvised project came in the form of our tree skirt. Man, those can be pricey! I am gonna keep my eyes peeled after the holidays for a deal on one for next year. But this year I want to keep all the decorating on the CHEAP. So I grabbed a meter of red and white fabric ($7.99/meter, surprise!surprise! also from Ikea) and just draped it around the base of the tree.

If you actually know how to sew this could be a really easy project. But me. no. sew.

And to top it all off I got majorly luck when I stumbled on to a huge bucket of these darling straw ornaments at GoodWill. The whole bucket was all of $3. I am still pinching myself over that one! They fit our Swedish Tree to a tee.

All adorned! I threw Wren's sheepskin under the tree for added texture, but MungKee has now assumed it as his new bed.... for now.

Our 'Swedish Holiday' is just beginning, and so are my Christmas posts. So stop by tomorrow as we add some more holiday cheer with ribbon!

A BIG thank you to Ikea for helping to make our holiday that much more magical!

19 comments:

Your tree looks great...and a little familiar! We were at Ikea the other day stocking up on Christmas decor too. This year we are traveling and spending Christmas in Sydney, Australia so we are trying to do the tree on the cheap but keep the spirit for our 2 little ones. Ikea was perfect! Our trees will look very similar :) Merry Christmas

Love this! Our tree goes up in a spare bedroom that is decorated in crisp white, red and aqua and I love, love the idea of that tree skirt and the "advent calendar" with the bags! Great job incorporating the red!

How is it you spend the money you do on your clothes and can't afford a tree skirt? I am all for being frugal and making things yourself but we've all seen the clothes you sell on your blog,,,,shoes, dresses, tops and jeans worth hundreds of dollars each! I do like your blog but I don't like the double standard, don't be afraid to admit you earn enough money!

HI Holly,An idea to save money and not buy a tree skirt: I put white tulle (quite a bit for a full look) with mini white lights in the tulle under the tree. Every time I think of getting a tree skirt I change my mind as the tulle and lights are so pretty. Love your tree . . . and your whole house for that matter.

Thank you everyone!! Leanne, I LoVE the tulle idea. Maybe I'll try that when I go back to my vintage Christmas!

Gfuller, I can see how it could look like a double standard, but as I've posted before even my clothes and accessories I buy on super sale. Plus, I use them daily whereas a tree skirt isn't high on my priority list. Plus I am trying to save for some bathroom renos ;) so a $150 tree skirt at pottery barn doesn't seem economical. Hope that answers your question!

Your tree looks beautiful! I love how you switch things up and focus on how you really live. I also have a lot of extremely precious, delicate ornaments, and two very physical boys under the age of three ... your post puts things into perspective for me. I don't like to make our home into a play gym but I think compromising on the tree to make it more kid friendly makes more sense for everyone. Thanks for the lovely, inspiring post!

I always look forward to your holiday decor posts & this did not disappoint. Will be borrowing your Advent tree idea for next year when Quinn's old enough to participate.

Not to keep stirring the pot, but regarding gfuller's comment...I dislike how some people make assumptions & think they know a blogger purely by reading their posts. It's not that you can't afford a tree skirt which is neither here nor there. You just know where to be frugal so that you can actually spend money elsewhere on things that are more worthwhile to you (like your gorgeous kitchen, clothes, etc.). I'm the same way. Like decor, how one chooses to spend her $$$ is totally subjective.